Scratch Restaurant — Restaurant in Independence

At scratch, the menu itself appears unassuming and unpretentious. Simple black text on white paper. Mere words on parchment can in no way prepare you for the visual and gustatory nirvana you are about to enter when the waiter returns to your table and sets your selection in front of you.

I selected the Compassion Burrito and asked for a side order of home fries. Again: you cannot be prepared for what is about to happen because your brain has set an expectation for the words “burrito” and “home fries” that are set against the mundane, uninspired, and trivial background of your prior previous experience from lesser chefs trudging the path of the banal.

The Compassion Burrito is as wide as the serving bowel and thicker than most human biceps. It arrives enrobed in a delicate layer of queso, topped with exactly the right quantity, heat level and texture of salsa. I sat in awe for 10 seconds, decided which end of the burrito to despoil with knife and fork, and moaned silently as the combination of artfully folded and layered egg danced with the sinfully moist pork and home fried potatoes married within.

Did I say PO-tatoes? Oh no, these are not mere pommes de terre…not these. These are PRO-tatoes served by Nick the executive chef; MO-tatoes because you will dump the crunchy crumbs from the woefully empty bowl and beg for more; DOH-tatoes because you would be as clueless as Homer Simpson if you cannot appreciate how far beyond the baseline of starchy tubers your senses have traveled from but a single mouthful; GO-tatoes because I urge you to clear your culinary calendar for breakfast or lunch and rekindle your sense of surprise, wonder and awe in the presence of a chef and staff that have mastered the art of creating customers for life by demanding more of your sense of the possible from mere food.

Go, my children, and Scratch will enable a new itch to be properly and respectfully eased only by repeated visits.

My lovely girlfriend ordered a chicken wrap and had she not wrestled it back when she offered me a bite I would’ve probably eaten hers in addition to my burrito. Oh Nick, what addiction have...

I stopped in about a half-hour from close on a weekday on a whim. This looked like my kind of place and I was right on the money. I love local spots with homemade food. Scratch is a good name for the restaurant, everything tasted and looked like it was made from scratch. I ordered takeout at the counter, service was fast and super friendly, and for a walk up order it was fast from the kitchen! I had the burger, it was done medium, maybe a mid-well at the most, and was perfectly seasoned with a nice char on the outside. The pork belly was crispy, the lettuce is high-quality leaf, no iceberg here. I couldn't have picked fresher tomato from my own garden, and the sauce on the burger was sweet, but not overpowering. There was a lot to stuff between that homemade bun but it fit somehow and every bit was excellent. The burger was complimented by fresh cut fries and clearly homemade ketchup. If you've never tried homemade ketchup, you're missing out on an experience, it's so much better than anything you can buy. My food stayed piping hot for the 10 mile drive back to my destination, but didn't last long after that because once I parked the truck it was doomed! I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch...now I need to come on back for some biscuits and gravy! Thanks for the lovely meal,...

Wonderful little breakfast spot!

I’ve been looking forward to trying their bread pudding French toast for quite some time... and it hit the spot! The warm blueberry sauce and maple whipped cream were delicious. In my opinion, the toast came out rather cold in the middle (maybe it sat waiting for the other dish?) but I’ll forgive them :) The sausage was a little salty for my taste, but it’s homemade and flavorful so you gotta try it! The bread pudding pieces look small, but they’re so creamy and dense and filling that you get a lot of bang for your buck because they’ll fill you up.

My mom had the corned beef hash and she said it was delicious as well. We liked the thicker slices of corned beef rather than it being chopped to shreds. The potatoes were wonderfully crispy too. Not very seasoned, but we thought it was better to be underseasoned than overly salty! It doesn’t come with any toast, which was kind of surprising, but it was filling anyway so in the end it wasn’t missed.

I cannot wait to go back for the breakfast burrito! Hopefully I can update to 5 stars after that one... I have high hopes once again :)

The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. Please stop in or get carryout to support this small local business! Great prices...